US DATA: NAR commercial real estate lending survey says commercial
lending standards tightened in the past year for small businesses and
this “scuttled a major portion of contracted transactions for smaller
properties.” But there’re “notable improvements in capital for large
commercial transactions valued at $2.5 million or higher.” According to
Real Capital Analytics, more than 13,000 major properties valued at $2.5
million or higher traded hands in 2011. Sales volume increased 51
percent over 2010 to $205.8 billion, with the lion’s share of lending
funds coming from big banks. Other funding sources include insurance
companies and institutional investors.